Where does “dwarf” come from?

Dwarf comes from Middle English dwergh, from Old English dweorg, from Proto-Germanic dwergaz, a word of uncertain origin and meaning.

dwarf (English): Any member of a race of beings from folklore,...

Definitions

  1. Any member of a race of beings from folklore,...

Ancestry of “dwarf”, step by step

dwarf traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English dwergh

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishdwerghdwarf
2Old Englishdweorgdwarf
3Proto-West Germanicdwergdwarf
4Proto-Germanicdwergazdwarf

via Middle English dwerf

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishdwerf—
2Old Englishdweorh—

via Middle English dwerȝ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishdwerȝ—
Every word from Proto-Germanic dwergaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic dwerg →Every word from Old English dweorg →